In efforts to provide a temporary storage for fuel element containers in the open, it has been suggested to accommodate the containers in silo-like housings made of concrete or steel-reinforced concrete. In one type of concrete shielding housing, lateral air inlet passages are provided at the lower edge of the housing wall and lateral air outlet passages are provided at the upper edge of the wall underneath the cover. The base of the concrete shielding housng is configured as a separate pallet which can be moved about from one location to another with aid, for example, of a fork-lift truck. The fuel element container and the concrete shielding wall of the concrete shielding housing can be set down on this base. By means of the arrangement of the air inlet and air outlet passages in the concrete shielding housing, a natural ventilation within the housing is obtained for directing away heat produced by the radioactive decay of the materials stored in the container.
In the above-mentioned concrete shielding housing, the base plate of the pallet-like base of the concrete shielding housing is provided with axial bores which extend clear through the base plate and serve as additional air inlet openings. Should moisture form in the interior of the concrete shielding housing, this can be conducted downwardly away from the interior of the housing through these bores.